Automatic wall mounting system for wall-mounted TV

ABSTRACT

Provided is an automatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted television (TV). The system includes a fixing plate, an elevating plate, and an elevation manipulation unit. The fixing plate is fixingly mounted on a wall body and has fixing rails and sliders at its both side ends. The sliders slide on the fixing rails. The elevating plate is coupled at its both side ends to the sliders of the fixing plate, and mounts the TV in its front. The elevation manipulation unit is coupled to each of the fixing plate and the elevating plate, and elevates or descends the elevating plate about the fixing plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an automatic wall mounting system for awall-mounted television (TV), and more particularly, to an automaticwall mounting system for a wall-mounted TV, for automaticallycontrolling a screen height of the TV at a viewer's eye level.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, large-sizing and slimness of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)and Plasma Display Panel (PDP) televisions (TVs) result in thepopularization of a wall-mounted TV mounted on a wall as an alternativefor positioning the TV by a height suitable for viewer's TV watching aswell as securing interior spaces.

The wall-mounted TV is of a general type in which it is built in andfixed to a wall surface by a coupling means such as a bolt, or it ismounted in front of an elevation bracket installed on a wall surfacesuch that that a viewer can control a screen height of the TV in amanual manner.

Among the related-art TV installation methods, however, a built-ininstallation method has a drawback that it is impossible to control thescreen position of the TV at a viewer's eye level. A bracket basedinstallation method causes troublesomeness that the viewer shoulddirectly control the screen position of the TV in the manual manner,though he/she can control the screen height.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is toaddress at least the problems and/or disadvantages and to provide atleast the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect ofexemplary embodiments of the present invention is to provide anautomatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted television (TV), forautomatically controlling a screen height of the TV at a viewer's eyelevel in a remote place, thereby providing an optimal screen position toa viewer in real time while enabling a prompt, simple, and convenientcontrol of the screen height by automation.

According to one aspect of exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, there is provided an automatic wall mounting system for awall-mounted television (TV). The system includes a fixing, plate, anelevating plate, and an elevation manipulation unit. The fixing plate isfixingly mounted on a wall body and has fixing rails and sliders at itsboth side ends. The sliders slide on the fixing rails. The elevatingplate is coupled at its both side ends to the sliders of the fixingplate, and mounts the TV in its front. The elevation manipulation unitis coupled to each of the fixing plate and the elevating plate, andelevates or descends the elevating plate about the fixing plate.

The elevation manipulation unit includes a motor, a gear box, a leadscrew, and a lead nut. The motor is provided at a central part of theelevating plate, and has a rod axially rotating. The gear box isprovided at an end of the rod of the motor, and converts an axialrotation force of the rod into a vertical rotation force. The lead screwconnects at its one end with the rod through the gear box, and extendsat the other end to an upper side of the elevating plate. The lead nutis spirally coupled with the lead screw and is fixingly coupled to thefixing plate, and enables the lead screw to spirally move in an up anddown direction as the lead screw rotates.

The rods of the motor may protrude from both sides of the motor, therebyproviding a coupling structure among the gear box, the lead screw, andthe lead nut each having the same construction.

The gear box may connect the lead screw with the rod in a worm gearmanner.

The elevating plate may have a screw support at its predetermined part.The screw support may cover an upper part of the lead screw, androtatably support the lead screw.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to aid in The above andother objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a fixing plate of an automaticwall mounting system for a wall-mounted television (TV) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating an elevating plate of anautomatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted television TVaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a rear view illustrating an elevating plate of an automaticwall mounting system for a wall-mounted TV according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating an elevation manipulationunit of an automatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted TVaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a front view illustrating an elevation manipulation unit ofan automatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted TV according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an automatic wallmounting system for a wall-mounted TV according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating an assembly state of an automaticwall mounting system for a wall-mounted TV according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating an operation state of anautomatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted TV according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, the same drawing reference numerals will beunderstood to refer to the same elements, features and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the annexed drawings. In the followingdescription, a detailed description of known functions andconfigurations incorporated herein has been omitted for conciseness.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, an automatic wall mounting system for awall-mounted television (TV) according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention includes a fixing plate 10 fixingly mounted on a wallbody 5, and having fixing rails 12 and sliders 14 at its both side ends,the sliders 14 sliding on the fixing rails 12; an elevating plate 20coupled at its both side ends to the sliders 14 of the fixing plate 10,and having a television (TV) 8 in its front; and an elevationmanipulation unit 30 coupled to each of the fixing plate 10 and theelevating plate 20, and elevating or descending the elevating plate 20about the fixing plate 10.

The fixing plate 10 is of a shape in which a rectangular iron plate isfixingly mounted on the wall body 5. The fixing plate 10 has the fixingrails 12 at its both sides. The fixing plate 10 has the sliders 14slidably coupled to the fixing rails 12 and sliding up/down on thefixing rails 12.

“L”-bracket shaped nut fixing parts 16 for fixing lead nuts 34 areattached onto the fixing plate 10 adjacently to and at inner sides ofthe fixing rails 12. Coupling holes 18 for coupling predeterminedcoupling members (not shown) such as bolts are provided at upper andlower parts of the fixing plate 10 adjacently to and at inner sides ofthe nut fixing parts 16.

The fixing plate 10 is partially cut away at its central part and thushas a through-hole 19 for raw material saving because its central partserves no role.

The elevating plate 20 is of a rectangular plate shape in which it isbent and stepped at a lower end and both ends. A motor 31 of theelevation manipulation unit 30 is installed at a lower-end bent part 20a, and the sliders 14 of the fixing plate 10 are coupled with both-endbent parts 20 b. In particular, the lower-end bent part 20 a is cut awayat its both ends and thus has a screw insertion part 20 c such that alead screw 33 of the elevation manipulation unit 30 is inserted into thescrew insertion part 20 c and is disposed in rear of the elevating plate20.

The elevating plate 20 has screw supports 22 at each of both-side upperand rear parts. The screw supports 22 cover upper parts of the leadscrews 33, and support the lead screws 33 such that the lead screws 33can axially rotate.

A gear box fixing part 24 is provided at a portion corresponding to anouter side surface of the screw insertion part 20 c of the elevatingplate 20. The gear box fixing part 24 fixes a gear box 32 of theelevation manipulation unit 30.

Coupling holes 25 for fixingly mounting the TV 8 through a separatecoupling hole (not shown) are provided at four corners of a central flatpart of the elevating plate 20.

The elevation manipulation unit 30 includes a motor 31 provided at acentral part of the elevating plate 20, and having a cylindrical rod 31a axially rotating in forward and reverse directions; the gear box 32provided at an end of the rod 31 a of the motor 31, and converting anaxial rotation force of the rod 31 a into a vertical rotation force; acylindrical lead screw 33 connecting at its one end with the rod 31 athrough the gear box 32 and extending at the other end to an upper sideof the elevating plate 20, and having a screw thread on itscircumferential surface; and a rectangular box shaped lead nut 34spirally coupled with the lead screw 33 and fixingly coupled to thefixing plate 10, and opened at its axial center and upper surface suchthat the lead screw 33 spirally moves in an up and down direction asrotating.

The rods 31 a of the motor 31 protrude from both sides of the motor 31,thereby providing a coupling structure among the gear box 32, the leadscrew 33, and the lead nut 34 each having the same construction.

It is desirable that the gear box 32 connects the lead screw 33 with therod 31 a in a worm gear manner. In detail, worm gears connect to ends ofthe rod 31 a and the lead screw 33 that interconnect with each other.The worm gears are geared with each other, and transmit the rotationforce of the rod 31 a to the lead screw 33 disposed in a verticaldirection.

In addition to the worm gear, the gear box 32 can apply a combination ofvarious gears such as a rack pinion gear or a bevel gear for convertingthe rotation force into the vertical rotation force.

The automatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted television TVaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention iscompletely assembled as follows. First, the fixing plate 10 is fixed tothe wall body 5. Next, the elevation manipulation unit 30 is installedby disposing the lead screws 33 in rear of the elevating plate 20. Afterthat, the both-end bent parts 20 b of the elevating plate 20 are coupledto the sliders 14 of the fixing plate 10. At the same time, the leadnuts 34 screwed and coupled with the lead screws 33 of the elevationmanipulation unit 30 are fixingly coupled to the nut fixing parts 16 ofthe fixing plate 10. Finally, the TV 8 is fixingly mounted via the frontcoupling holes 25 of the elevating plate 20.

In this state, a viewer can control the screen height of the TV 8 athis/her eye level in a remote place, using a remote controller.

For example, when it is intended to control the screen height of the TV8, the motor 31 is driven to rotate the rod 31 a in a desired direction.The rotation force of the rod 31 a causes rotation of the lead screw 33that is disposed in the vertical direction through the gear box 32. Thisresults in spiral movement of the lead screw 33 about the lead nut 34that is fixed to the fixing plate 10. Finally, the spiral movementcauses the elevating or descending of the elevating plate 20 integrallyconnecting with the lead screw 33 in a desired direction, therebycontrolling the screen height of the TV 8.

As described above, the automatic wall mounting system for awall-mounted television TV has an effect of automatically controllingthe screen height of the TV at the viewer's eye level in the remoteplace, thereby providing the optimal screen position to the viewer inreal time while enabling a prompt, simple, and convenient control of thescreen height by automation.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to acertain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1. An automatic wall mounting system for a wall-mounted television (TV),the system comprising: a fixing plate fixingly mounted on a wall bodyand having fixing rails and sliders at its both side ends, the sliderssliding on the fixing rails; an elevating plate coupled at its both sideends to the sliders of the fixing plate, and mounting the TV in itsfront; and an elevation manipulation unit coupled to each of the fixingplate and the elevating plate, and elevating or descending the elevatingplate about the fixing plate.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein theelevation manipulation unit 30 comprises: a motor provided at a centralpart of the elevating plate, and having a rod axially rotating; a gearbox provided at an end of the rod of the motor, and converting an axialrotation force of the rod into a vertical rotation force; a lead screwconnecting at its one end with the rod through the gear box, andextending at the other end to an upper side of the elevating plate; anda lead nut spirally coupled with the lead screw and fixingly coupled tothe fixing plate, and enabling the lead screw to spirally move in an upand down direction as the lead screw rotates.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the rods of the motor protrude from both sides of the motor,thereby providing a coupling structure among the gear box, the leadscrew, and the lead nut each having the same construction.
 4. The systemof claim 2, wherein the gear box connects the lead screw with the rod ina worm gear manner.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the gear boxconnects the lead screw with the rod in a worm gear manner.
 6. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the elevating plate has a screw support atits predetermined part, and wherein the screw support covers an upperpart of the lead screw, and rotatably supports the lead screw.
 7. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the elevating plate has a screw support atits predetermined part, and wherein the screw support covers an upperpart of the lead screw, and rotatably supports the lead screw.